Getting your yard ready for summer

In spring, a young man’s fancy turns to love, the poet said. For homeowners and lawn and garden enthusiasts, the fancy shifts to greenness and lushness.

After a cold winter fraught with drabness and brown lawns dotted by patches, spring is the ideal time to get the lawn and garden ready for the upcoming summer season.

While some in the area have elected to bypass traditional landscaping for xeriscaping, there remain a strong contingent of homeowners who love their lawns and want to see their residence’s outdoor covering thrive.

Here are a few simple steps a homeowner can take in spring to prepare a lawn for the summer season:

Start the lawn prep by using a rake to remove any leaves and other garden debris that have accumulated over winter. Then, give your lawn a boost by spreading a thin layer (about 1/4-inch thick) of aged compost.

Re-seed bare patches in the lawn. Loosen the surface to a depth of 2 to 4 inches, then level the soil by using the back of a garden rake. Next, spread a mixture of grass seed and compost or fertilizer over the bare spot. Tamp the surface with the flat end of a rake to firm in the seed, then water as needed.

Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around the base of plants, trees and shrubs as well as emerging bulbs and perennials. This helps to moderate soil temperatures, maintain soil moisture, deter weeds and make your soil more friable by increasing the population of beneficial soil microorganisms. Plus, it makes your garden look more beautiful.

Aerate your lawn to allow oxygen, water and nutrients to easily reach grass roots. But do it the easy way. Use a soil conditioner product like as LazyMan Liquid Soil Aerator, fortified with beneficial microorganisms that aerate the soil so roots grow better. The overall result is a lush green lawn and a healthier, more productive garden. Attach the product to your garden hose and spray.

Prune any broken, diseased or dead limbs from deciduous trees and other woody plants. Prune back spring-blooming shrubs; thin out and trim up summer-blooming shrubs and most roses.

Clear out weeds and last season’s garden debris from beds and borders. Remove or cut down last year’s perennial foliage and toss it in the compost pile.

If you don’t have one, start a compost pile by layering carbon-rich materials (brown) with nitrogen-rich materials (green) at a 3-to-1 ratio, adding a layer of soil in between each addition. Good brown sources include garden trimmings, dry leaves, pine needles, straw, wood chips, shredded paper products and sawdust. Green sources can be found in grass clippings, green leaves and plant material, animal hair and manures, as well as kitchen wastes.

Start the spring season with a sharp blade on your lawn mower. A dull blade will rip grass rather than cut it, making plants more susceptible to infection and water loss.

Before planting, consider the characteristics of your yard, such as soil type, sun and shade patterns, direction of prevailing winds and proximity to water.

Check the pH of your soil with a soil test kit, available at garden centers and home improvement stores. Most plants grow best in soil with a pH between 6.0 to 7.0. Some plants — such as azalea, heather, astilbe and hydrangea — prefer acidic soil in the range of 4.5 to 6.5. Plants grown in the proper soil pH are healthier, more productive and more resistant to disease and insects.

Mow your lawn to a height of 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches, and mow frequently so that no more than one-third of the grass is cut in one mowing. Mowing high and mowing often produces a tougher turf that crowds out pesky weeds and is less susceptible to drought and summer heat.

Get your new plants off to a good start by thoroughly soaking the soil before putting them in the ground. Once plants are in the ground, be sure to water them thoroughly, keeping the soil slightly moist at all times during the first growing season until plants become established.

Create drifts of color and texture by arranging your annuals and perennials in groups of three, five, or seven — odd numbers. Plants growing in large drifts or colonies create harmony in the landscape and appear more natural.

Arrange new plantings in layers, with medium-sized plants in the middle, low plants in front, and tall plants in back. If you’re planting an island, place taller plantings in the middle instead. You’ll create more visual interest if you stagger your plantings so they’re not lined up in straight rows.

If your lawn is beyond repair or you want to lay down grass in a new area, the experts at Lawn Ranger Sod Farms of Pueblo have experienced great success with sod with a root system.

“People need to learn that this is the best way to go,” said Gene Hartman, owner. “With traditional seeding, it takes three weeks for Kentucky bluegrass to germinate. The sod with the root system will take immediately if it is tended to correctly.”

The rolls of sod are a lengthy 66 inches, with the roots extending from half an inch to three-quarters of an inch. This length is a reason for the ease of which the sod takes to the soil.

“You still have to maintain and water the sod to keep it from shock,” Hartman said. “Three times a day for five days and then you can taper off to twice a day.”

Hartman said he has operated the sod farm since 1977, with excellent results in Pueblo and throughout Southern Colorado.